A Pebble in the Cosmic Pond

Ramona Deonauth, a Chinese medicine practitioner of Indian heritage, discusses the importance of improving menstrual education for all genders. She explores the intersection of traditional Asian cultural wisdom and modern experiences in the US. Topics include tackling menstrual pain, empowering young women, and addressing societal perceptions around menstruation.

Once again, Leo Lok and Sabine Wilms are here to bring you old and new stories about China's healing traditions and about Medicine in Heaven and on Earth... ...and in the sweet spot in between. In a special twist for Season 2, evocatively titled "Over the Moon?", they focus on second generation immigrant Asian voices by, for, and about women's health, as the sweet spot between traditional Asian wisdom and contemporary Western embodiment. And yes, they do realize that they need help with this theme since both Leo and Sabine are first, not second, generation immigrants in the US (he from Malaysia and she from Germany), and he is a guy and she is not Asian. That’s where the interview partners come in.For this first interview, Leo and Sabine get to chat with Ramona Deonauth, a Chinese medicine practitioner of Indian heritage in San Diego who is finishing up a doctoral dissertation on menstrual education at Yo San University in Los Angeles. Sabine has had the great honor to serve as one of her advisors for her super fascinating research project, which involved her interviewing young menstruators and professional providers of menstrual education from the worlds of nursing, public health, and Western and Chinese gynecology. For the last year or so Sabine has been so enjoying her monthly mentoring sessions with Ramona because Ramona has really powerful stories to tell and insights to share, sad and beautiful and inspiring. Doing a ton of listening and learning, she has been contemplating how to improve the experience of bleeding with the moon for young American menstruators. Truth be told, Ramona is actually the reason for this theme for Season Two because the three of them had such a wonderful conversation, in perfect alignment with each other on the huge potential and power for this subject, that they knew at the end of three hours that they couldn’t stop there. And since Ramona has to focus on finishing up her dissertation, Leo and Sabine have simply found other second generation immigrant Asian women to interview until Ramona is done with her doctorate and can join them again. You will be able to tell from the first time Ramona opens her mouth that she is one of those human angels, motivated by her deep care for the young menstruators she has been encountering in her research and clinical practice. Leo and Sabine are delighted that this podcast might help get the word out about Ramona’s work and about the significance and potential of menstrual education from a Chinese medicine perspective, along the lines of Leo’s beloved “Bodhisattva Math.”Additional InformationChanneling the Moon, A Translation and Discussion of Qí Zhòngfǔ's "Hundred Questions on Gynecology," Part One — Happy Goat ProductionsTraditional Chinese GynecologyRamona Deonauth's bio and websiteSubscribe to my newsletter!Imperial Tutor Mentorship by Dr. WilmsHappy Goat Productions (Dr. Wilms' website)Leo Lok's courses - All Courses - Voices of Our Medical Ancestors

In a special twist for Season 2, we feature second generation immigrant Asian women’s voices on female health. We explore the creative sweet spot in between the traditional Asian kitchen table wisdom on women’s health that they have inherited from their mothers and aunties, and their personal and professional experience in contemporary America. Before we get to interview these women in our official episodes, here is a little introductory conversation where Leo and I explore this topic and ask questions like “Where does traditional women’s knowledge on female health come from and how is it transmitted? How is it reflected, if at all, in the traditional literature of Chinese medicine, written largely by and for men? How do we plug the gaping holes in the male-dominated traditional literature as modern providers of medical education and medical care by and for women? Whether in the context of advanced clinical practice or daily yangsheng, how can we make space for the female perspective of the nurturer versus the technician?Additional InformationChanneling the Moon, A Translation and Discussion of Qí Zhòngfǔ's "Hundred Questions on Gynecology," Part One — Happy Goat ProductionsTraditional Chinese GynecologySubscribe to my newsletter!Leo Lok's courses - All Courses - Voices of Our Medical Ancestors

Exploring the impact of personal practice of Yangshan on clinical effectiveness in Chinese medicine, and the challenge of meeting depleted patients without depleting oneself. Historical context of occupational hazards, harmonizing practitioner-patient interactions for effective healing outcomes, the art of gentle treatment in Chinese medicine, exploring misconceptions in acupuncture, and the risks of fixating on Chinese medicine while highlighting the value of deep understanding.

Today’s conversation is inspired by Leo Lok’s ideal of “Bodhisattva Math,” which is a great reminder for us to focus on topics in Chinese medicine that have the most impact on alleviating unnecessary suffering with the least amount of effort! In this context, Sun Simiao reminded us already in the seventh century that food is essential for human survival but can be medicine or poison. As he put it: “Anything that contains Qi without exception has the potential to provide food and thereby safeguard life. And yet, if we eat it without awareness [of its specific effect], it can mean thriving or ruin.” In this episode on “Eating for Old Age: The Lost Art of Chinese Food Therapy,” Leo Lok and I explore the potential and power of food in the contemporary clinical practice of Chinese medicine. To cite Master Sun again, dietetics is “...the special method of lengthening the years and ‘eating for old age’ and the utmost art of nurturing life. Any practitioner of medicine must first thoroughly understand the source of disease and know what has been violated. Then, use food to treat it. If treatment with food will not cure [the patient], afterwards apply drugs. The nature of drugs is harsh and unyielding. This is just like managing soldiers. Soldiers being fierce and violent, how could you allow them to recklessly set out!” You will see, there are some real gems that Leo shares with us in this episode, such as how to have your ice-cream and eat it too…Additional InformationLeo's course on "Weight Loss in Chinese Medicine"Leo's course on "Shen Nong's Secret Sundae"Dr. Wilms' free course: Introduction to Classical Chinese — Translating Chinese MedicineSubscribe to my newsletter!Translating Chinese Medicine: Dr. Wilms' website for learning classical ChineseImperial Tutor Mentorship by Dr. WilmsHappy Goat Productions (Dr. Wilms' website)Leo Lok's courses - All Courses - Voices of Our Medical Ancestors

Medicine, like any other skill or knowledge system, needs to be rooted in both subjectivity and objectivity. By valuing either one over the other, we deprive ourselves of an essential part thereof. Can traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy help us find a more balanced way of making sense of the world than the cold, rational, evidence-based cause-and-effect thinking of biomedicine and modern science? As Greg Bantick, our special guest on today’s episode of A Pebble in the Cosmic Pond puts it with his wonderful clarity: The act of failing to examine our filters is not benign, but dangerous, and results in problems like racism, cultural appropriation, and orientalism. When we encounter perspectives of the world that make us squirm because they challenge our own beliefs and experiences, we have three choices in how we respond: We can deny their value and write them off as “barbaric” or “superstitious”; we can orientalize or exoticize them as “other” and then creatively interpret them in such a way that they ultimately confirm our own beliefs; orwe can accept the discomfort and embrace this challenge of getting our own world rocked as a chance to learn something new, and then we grow in that process. The choice is ours! For today’s episode, titled ““Questioning our Filters,” our special guest is Greg Bantick, a leading practitioner and international teacher of Chinese medicine with almost half a century of experience, who also happens to be a deeply committed practitioner of Buddhism with a beautiful kind heart and a deep well of wisdom.I should warn you though: We end a bit abruptly and sadly, with us sharing a sense of grief at the huge loss of so many centuries of information and experience that can be found in the treasure house of traditional Chinese medicine. As our conversation explores, the misunderstandings and ignorance that affect the transmission of Chinese medicine into the West are due to two key factors: The lack of an open mind, and the linguistic barrier that prevents the vast majority of Chinese medicine practitioners in the West from even knowing what is out there.Additional InformationOrientalism, Cultural Appropriation, and Critical Thinking — Happy Goat ProductionsGreg Bantick's websiteDr. Wilms' free course: Introduction to Classical Chinese — Translating Chinese MedicineSubscribe to my newsletter!Imperial Tutor Mentorship by Dr. WilmsHappy Goat Productions (Dr. Wilms' website)Leo Lok's courses - All Courses - Voices of Our Medical Ancestors

What makes somebody a master physician? What can we learn from historical texts about some limitations and possibilities, strengths and weakness of Chinese medicine that are no longer visible in the modern clinical context, especially as practiced in the West? How can we acquire and transmit skills to adapt Chinese medicine more flexibly, beyond the now standard “perfumed, candle-lit privileged context of the so-called worried well” (in Daniel Altschuler’s words) in order to serve patients in dire need who may not have access to standard health care? Wouldn’t YOU want to try and to save a patient suffering from appendicitis with Dahuang Mudanpi Tang, rather than watching them suffer and possibly die as they wait for biomedical care in an overburdened or nonexistent system? On a deeper level, is there a role for Chinese medicine as a tool to “re-humanize” (in Leo Lok’s poignant word) the people we touch by reconnecting them with their physical, social, and environmental bodies and helping them find peace and ease and comfort, rather than merely making their lab results and diagnostic tests conform to a standard value imposed by for-profit pharmaceutical companies? Can Chinese medicine, or any medicine for that matter, be a tool of resistance to our modern relentless pressure for maximum productivity and efficiency in our industrialized capitalist society shaped by corporate greed where doctors are left feeling like assembly line workers and cogs in the machine?This episode of the Pebble in the Cosmic Pond is actually the second part of a conversation Leo Lok and Sabine Wilms had with Daniel Altschuler, on “Compassionate Practice.” It turned out that Daniel was the perfect person to help us find answers, due to his varied experiences of training under a traditional Chinese medicine doctor in Taiwan, followed by his work teaching and practicing in Seattle and his passion project of providing free healthcare to any and all once a year in a monastery in rural Nepal. I hope that you agree with Leo and me that Daniel is a rare treasure and wonderful example of just this “compassionate practice” that this whole conversation is ultimately about.If you haven't done so yet, please sign up for my newsletter at HAPPYGOATPRODUCTIONS.COM/CONNECT to stay in touch. Also, please rate, review, and share this podcast wherever you can. Lastly, to hear the last third of this conversation, join my Imperial Tutor mentorship, where you can listen each month to the exclusive follow-up “Imperial Tutorial” episodes that drop every full moon, in addition to receiving all sorts of other benefits like weekly translations and live Tea Time Talks. Find out more and sign up at happygoatproductions.com/imperialtutor.Additional InformationOpen Hands Medicine - Daniel Altschuler's Non-Profit in NepalDaniel Altschuler's clinic website - Home - Acupuncture Seattle - Traditional Chinese MedicineAcupuncture Seattle – Traditional Chinese Medicine | Looking for Acupuncture in Seattle? Chinese Medicine, Cancer Acupuncture Specialist, Dr. Daniel Altschuler can help you.Dr. Wilms' free course: Introduction to Classical Chinese — Translating Chinese MedicineSubscribe to my newsletter!Imperial Tutor Mentorship by Dr. WilmsLeo Lok's courses - All Courses - Voices of Our Medical Ancestors

How does the training and practice of Chinese medicine change depending on one’s location? What is the difference in patient expectations, scopes of practice, and lineage versus institutional training and licensing? And what is really behind this supposed contrast between biomedicine, perceived as instantly effective and ideal for emergencies and serious conditions, versus Chinese medicine, supposedly being slow medicine, for chronic conditions, and too often seen as a benign complementary treatment?In today’s episode of A Pebble in the Cosmic Pond, titled “Compassionate Practice, from Seattle to Taiwan to Nepal,” my collaborator Leo Lok and I are talking to Daniel Altschuler. Having lived and studied Chinese medicine for many years in Taiwan, he has been practicing and teaching in Seattle for the past 18 years, and also travels to Nepal each year to treat patients there through his nonprofit. So he is the perfect person to give us some new perspectives.For the second part of this conversation, join Dr. Wilms' Imperial Tutor mentorship.Additional InformationOpen Hands Medicine - Daniel Altschuler's Non-Profit in NepalDaniel Altschuler's clinic website - Home - Acupuncture Seattle - Traditional Chinese MedicineAcupuncture Seattle – Traditional Chinese Medicine | Looking for Acupuncture in Seattle? Chinese Medicine, Cancer Acupuncture Specialist, Dr. Daniel Altschuler can help you.Subscribe to my newsletter!Imperial Tutor Mentorship by Dr. WilmsHappy Goat Productions (Dr. Wilms' website)Leo Lok's courses - All Courses - Voices of Our Medical Ancestors

Catching up on the news this morning, I felt a strong need to do something so I got in touch with my friend and colleague Dr. Brenda Hood, whose tuning forks are magical. I just felt like the world had a little need for some of her healing magic, and she was happy to oblige. So here is yet another spontaneous recording session, created in response to the horrendous things happening for far too many of us locally, nationally, globally, and cosmicly.As the image associated with this episode shows, the sound of Dr. Hood's singing bowl symphony is accompanied by what she calls a "Healing Grid" created specifically for this recording. It consists of the following stones (and I hope I got this right because I am no specialist in fancy stones but just took quick notes while Brenda was explaining it to me):Pink Himalayan healer quartz (top left corner), for healingGreen phantom quartz (top right corner), for communicationLabradorite (center stone in the very middle of the wooden structure), for processing, as the dark side of the moonTangerine quartz (top, left, and right sides of the wooden structure), for traumaLepidolite (large stone on the bottom corner of the structure), for calmnessPyrite (below this bottom corner, on the cloth), for protection and bountifulnessK2 Jasper (three stones underneath the Pyrite), for protection and trust.The healing grid is arranged on a rose pink cloth to echo love throughout the entire soundbath. The singing bowls are antiques from Brenda's personal collection, dating back as far as the seventeenth century. In Brenda's words, the sound produced by her bowls is filtered through all the healing vibrations of the stones in the Healing Grid, to create a certain energy to send out into the world.It is Brenda's and my desire that this offering may bring healing and a moment of peace to as many people as possible. Please feel free to share this recording with anybody who you think may benefit from it, whether they are a fellow practitioner of Chinese medicine or your patients or community.May you find some peace, love, rest, and support!

Today’s conversation started out with an innocuous email I sent to Leo, requesting that we explore that aspect of any good healer’s practice that is challenging to speak about and analyze rationally, let alone measure, certify, or transmit. And yet, we all know how powerful a healer can be, not because of their technical expertise but because of something else. What is this something else? In today’s episode, we once again look at the Chinese medicine classics for insights. Our journey takes us in several different directions, all in order to avoid the danger of literally going crazy from overintellectualizing and overanalyzing, which is an issue whether we practice translation or medicine or really any other art. Answers offered in the classics include the healer’s and/or the patient’s concentrated or “unified” spirit shén (or 意 yì “intent” or 志 zhì “will”, in the sense of attention, in the clinical encounter. In addition, there is their cultivated presence as an ethical and “realized” human being, whether in terms of 德 dé “virtue-power” or charisma or presence, or in terms of wisdom and compassion, as the result of having gained 清靜 qīngjìng “purity and stillness,” by means of Buddhist or Daoist meditative practices of emptying and stilling the mind.And if this hourlong conversation wasn 't enough on this topic, do you want to join Leo and me for the second half of this conversation, titled “Jiggling the Jing,” where we looked more deeply at the dangers and limitations of an overly analytical and intellectual approach and then, by contrast, at real mastery, both in ancient China and in contemporary practice? In that case, I invite you to join my Imperial Tutor mentorship to listen to the exclusive follow-up “Imperial Tutorial” episodes that drop every full moon, in addition to all sorts of other benefits like weekly translations and live Tea Time Talks. Find out more at happygoatproductions.com/imperialtutor.Additional InformationSubscribe to my newsletter!Imperial Tutor Mentorship by Dr. WilmsLeo Lok's courses - All Courses - Voices of Our Medical AncestorsSupport A Pebble in the Cosmic Pond